Nurturing Family Program

The Nurturing Family Program(Crianza con Cariño) is a program offered to families in our community twice each year here at Hope. The program is aimed at Hispanic families and is conducted primarily in Spanish.

Launched about ten years ago, the program consists of 12 sessions and meets one evening per week from 7 to 9 p.m. Dinner and transportation are provided.

Learning and Having Fun, Building Community

The Nurturing Family Program provides a quality program for all members of participating families. Each session begins with a whole-group gathering. After a welcome “dynamic” activity, groups are divided according to age: parents, teens, elementary, preschoolers, and childcare.

Within each group, a member of Hope’s Parenting Team addresses the topic of the day in a manner appropriate for the group’s age and family role. Activities for the parents promote improved communication between the couple and the use of consistent, effective parenting skills, leading to better relationships and a stronger sense of family unity.

At the end of each session, all the groups meet back in the big room to share impressions about the activity or topic and close out the evening together. A major benefit of the program is creation of community, as families discover that they all deal with similar problems and situations, and that they are not alone.

Developing Skills, Increasing Family Unity

Through activities both serious and light-hearted, the program promotes family values such as self-worth, empathy, discipline, humor, laughter and fun as they work through the following topics:

1. The Path: Where are we and where would we like to be?

2. Feelings

3. Family Morals and Values

4. Family Rules

5. Communication Skills and Discipline

6. Empathy and Compassion

7. Family Roles

8. Personal Power

9. Anger Management

10. Substance Abuse

11. Conflict Resolution

12. What we have learned?

At the end of the 12 weeks, every family receives a certificate for their participation in the program and all are encouraged to remain involved at Hope in other programs and events.

How to Participate

To register, it is necessary to make an appointment with one of the coordinators: Nilka Melendez or Roxana Martel. A coordinator will visit the family at home, interview the applicants, and stay in close communication with the family throughout the program.

Pre- and Post-Evaluations are conducted with the adults who attend the program. The team of instructors and assistants meet every week to evaluate the latest session and to prepare the next session. If any problem or need is detected, the team makes referrals to specialized programs and organizations in the surrounding community.

Credits
The Nurturing Family Program is based on the curriculum designed by Stephen J. Bavolek, PhD. of Family Development Resources Inc., with our own adaptation for Hispanic culture.